The BBC is considering taking some of it's biggest comedy programmes onto the
big screen.

Both of Ricky Gervais' projects, The Office and Extras, are under
consideration, as well as current favourite Little Britain.

Head of comedy talent Kenton Allen will join forces with BBC Films head David
Thompson to work on mainstream comedy feature films.

Allen said "Many of the comedy talents we work with ultimately want to point
on a bigger canvas, and this relationship with BBC Films means that we can now
offer them that opportunity."

Thompson added "Comedy is very much a target area for us at the moment. I am
very excited about working with Kenton and the BBC Comedy team."

I would like to offer a cautious note - basing a film on a comedy series
often means you end up with what feels like a stretched episode. Meaning the
same amount of good jokes but stretched over two hours instead of thirty
minutes.

If the current set of excellent comedy writers on the BBC, including Walliams
& Lucas, Gervais & Merchant are to make sucessful films, surely it would
be better to come up with entirely new ideas rather than cling on to a previous
success?

Lessons can be learned from Simon Pegg, who took a brave step in not adapting
Spaced for film but going in a new direction and producing one of the funniest
UK comedies in the last ten years with Shaun of the
Dead.